Three children and youth ministers from Coventry Diocese were invited to an event at Lambeth Palace last week to be thanked for their contributions to the life of the Church.
The event last Thursday, which was part of RECOGNISE 2026, was hosted by Sarah Mullally, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and gathered together children and youth ministers from across the southern region of England to thank them for their work.
Those who attended were a mix of both volunteers and employed ministers, and represented ministry in deprived urban communities through to leafy rural villages, and everything in between. As part of the celebration they enjoyed afternoon tea and an address from Archbishop Sarah.
If your church missed out on celebrating RECOGNISE Sunday this year, or if you think your children and younth ministers deserve to be celebrated further, there will be a Celebration of Lay Ministry at Coventry Cathedral on 5 September. This event will be an opportunity to celebrate Lay Ministry in all its forms, and Clergy (and churchwardens for churches in vacancy) can use the form here to nominate anyone who ministers in their church to receive an invite.